Moving Through a Sinful Past
by Hypersigils
Summary: Exploring Lelouch's thoughts as he awaits his death... and beyond. How he may live through all the sins he's committed. How he may learn what love means, and how it pertains to a certain green-haired witch... Lemon, later on.
1. Chapter 1

Lelouch, the emperor of all Earth and he who held dominion over its inhabitants sat quietly.

Tormented.

Though the verdant and peaceful imperial garden nearly hummed with beauty, he paid no attention to it. His full attention was fixed instead upon his current path, on the unstoppable forces he'd set in motion. _It's almost over,_ he thought. _My rest is nearly at hand._ His lip curled in a parody of a smile as he reflected on his current position. _How ironic that I should want nothing more than to die... and yet my wish cannot be fulfilled. Until..._ he sat back and sighed. _The Zero Requiem is at its conclusion._

His mind turned again towards the immediate future. He imagined how it would play out, each piece inevitably following its fated path_. I will take the most heinous war prisoners to the execution block. But I will not arrive there. Nor will the prisoners- I will die by Suzaku's hand before that happens._ He smiled sadly, an expression of pain more than humor crossing his face. _"Heinous criminals", I must call them. But in reality they're the closest things to friends I have. And I can't really even call them that, with the trials I've put them through..._ Lelouch quickly ran through a list of the prisoners. _My black knight commanders... once my trusted subordinates. But they threw me, threw Zero, out on the streets and doomed themselves to failure. No... I never trusted them, but they once trusted me. And I abused that connection by perverting their wills with Geass. At least, that's what I've let them think. _

The list continued. _Kaguya... my bride-to-be. A brilliant girl, who'll grow into a fine woman indeed. She wanted to spend her life with me, but I never let myself be connected to her, physically or emotionally. Despite her advances. I simply had no need for that connection, as focused as my will was on Brittania's downfall. But now... when I think of all the things I haven't done, my body fairly burns with wanting. He shivered and gripped his hands together, nails barely puncturing skin. And when I think of all the ways she's taunted, teased me... all the experiences I've never had scream inside me, demanding release and consummation._ His mind flashed upon generated images of passion, disregarding propriety or sense. Lelouch shook himself angrily_. I dare not think such things. Focus, "emperor". Focus until the task at hand has been cleared. _

_Xingke and princess Tianzi. They deserve a life together, but even from my limited medical knowledge I can see he won't last that long. It's a miracle his façade has been maintained so long, but even he cannot turn back the flow of time. The shock of coming so close to execution might even strain his heart past endurance... I might become the reason for his death. I might rob him from Tianzi forever. But she will grow into a fine princess just like Kaguya. She will doubtlessly move on._

The former Britannian soldiers Lelouch gave hardly a thought to. They were insignificant to him, mere equations that he'd written off long ago.

His thoughts paused a moment as he thought of Kallen. _My most excellent piece, and more than that, a wonderful young woman. She deserves the title of second-best in the world. Without Suzaku's Geass she might even be first. But Suzaku is dead, at least in the eyes of society. She killed him. Well, his ghost will appear two days from now to make my final bow. He'll be garbed in Zero's vestments, though, so none will realize our trickery._

His mind brushed over his brother, Clovis, and settled on his sister_. Nunnally... how terrible and maddening that my battle, begun in her name and for her happiness, will leave her as the loser. I've taken everything from her, and soon I will claim my beloved sister's most cherished object... myself._ A solitary tear slipped down his cheek, and Lelouch cursed himself for his weakness. _Two more days, until it all comes to a close. Everything has been taken care of... but for one variable. The single equation I cannot name and can only just understand. _

"Feeling sorry for yourself, as usual?" Lelouch knew it was her without even turning his head. _How fitting for an immortal witch to show up as I'm thinking of her._ What other voice could tease him beyond reason, make him nearly lose control of himself? _She's nearly as bad as Kaguya, with her plans to create connections with me. And I've failed in my intent to stay aloof from her. I can't bear the thought of leaving her behind..._

Less than two seconds after her original statement, Lelouch answered her. "And what would you know of regret? You're not supposed to have feelings, remember?" A long pause stood between them. He sighed and turned to face C.C, her green hair blowing gently in the wind. He was struck by her unearthly beauty, as he always was. _Enigmatic. Alien. Outlandish and intriguing._ She folded her arms against the flowing suit she always wore. Despite himself, Lelouch felt concern. "What's wrong, C.C? Where are your usual retorts, the all-knowing aloofness? Where is your haughty smile?" He saw, to his surprise, tears starting in her eyes. She hugged herself close. "Lelouch, listen to me. This price you think you're prepared to pay, it's not-" C.C. bit her lip and hesitated. "What you think you're giving up, it's more than that. You can't know what it's like." What... it's like? What is she talking about? Lelouch ignored the sentence after a moment of thought. Likely just another maddening word game or half-truth.

"Dying? No, I'm fully prepared for it. I've never wanted something so badly in my life. I can almost taste its sweet release on my tongue." To his further confusion, C.C's tears began to flow at his statement. "No... no, no, you don't know what you... what you're giving up, it's different from-" her face froze as she clearly realized something. When time for her resumed, she only cried harder_. I've never seen her like this._ She's _usually so cold, so insulated..._ Lelouch recognized his feelings with some shock. _I want to protect her._ He hesitated, but moved close to her. He held out his hands. "C.C, I... " "No!" She cut him off, backing away. "If we, if you do this, I'll never be able to..." she paused again, then whispered, "All I can say is this. If you change your mind, talk to me. I can change it." Lelouch felt like he'd been broken into tiny fragments. It was like a thousand different pieces of himself were warring with each other. Half of him shouted at him to MOVE, to reassure her; to call it all off and spend his life with the witch that cried with a stone face, now standing in front of him. But he couldn't. His other half reminded him quietly of the plan, the Zero Requiem. _If I give up now, I promise myself and her happiness but damn the world. I'll doom the human condition to more suffering, more hatred. I'll trap it rather than free it._

C.C. turned to leave, her tears somewhat subsided. Lelouch stood indecisive, but knew what he must do. He whispered a quiet apology. "I fulfilled our contract for a short time, but I would have liked to for much longer. I hope you can forgive me... perhaps we can meet again, in another life." C.C. turned her head to look at him, eyes wide and new tears forming. She shook, trembling, then walked away stiffly. Lelouch could see it took all her strength not to break into a run.

He held his composure long enough for her to round a corner and move out of earshot. Then he could pretend no longer and fell to the ground, slamming his fists downward. "Damn it," Lelouch the unfeeling cried. "Damn it all!" _I've lost every girl I ever cared about! I shot Euphemia after I perverted her will. I killed Shirley with my inaction, focusing on Jeremiah when I should have been PROTECTING HER! _He pounded the ground once more. _Kallen I've pushed away with my dishonesty. She now thinks I'm a cruel and hateful ruler, corrupted by the power I possess. My beloved Nunnally is lost to me as well. I've convinced her, though it nearly killed me to do so, that I am willing to trample her over in my quest for power. And now... _Lelouch groaned and lay back, unable to muster enough energy to yell out his frustration and despair._ I'm so tired... I keep making mistakes I can't fix. Not only will my death steal C.C's growing happiness from her, but I've wounded her with my words. I still don't know what I did wrong... but it doesn't matter anymore. Nothing does. Only death, and its beckoning simplicity... _

Lelouch's thoughts, inevitably, focused upon that paradoxical witch. _I suppose, a long time ago, I desired fixing her. She was something of a game to me, a problem or equation to be solved. And I still haven't even figured out how she works. But I think it was only after I understood what she truly wanted, as I fought with my mother and father... that I truly began to feel something for her. No, perhaps it was before then... but knowing she too had desires, she too needed connection, that caused me to feel close to her. More than anything, I think she's lonely. And I can't fix that need anymore. She's on her own. _He felt prickling behind his eyes, and he stood angrily. _Move forward. Keep going. All tasks at hand must be cleared. Besides... this is all I deserve for the sins I've committed._


	2. Chapter 2

It didn't hurt as much as he expected it would. As the blade bit into Lelouch's chest, all he felt was pain behind an iron wall, and numbness spreading slowly. Flowing through his veins like ice that robbed him of feeling. Suzaku shifted his arms, and Lelouch choked out a gasp. He collapsed forward onto his one true friend's shoulder, only he and the sword holding him up. He heard a stifled sob from inside the featureless helmet he used to wear. "Lelouch..." the emperor dropped his façade. No more masks. No more games. It's over. He heard himself respond, smiling gently. "The punishment for what you've done shall be this, then." He moved his fingers to the stab wound, bemused to find wetness streaming down his front. Lelouch stumbled forward. "You will live on, always wearing that mask, serving as a knight for justice and truth." He reached up to Zero's mask, and smeared blood-_MY blood,_ he thought in a moment of shock- in long streaks upon it. A red caress. A visual sign of the sin he's committed, the burden he's taken to save the world. _Funny,_ he thought humorlessly, _that the ones who want to die won't, while I who believed he would live forever now perish._ "You will no longer live your life as Suzaku Kururugi. You shall sacrifice the ordinary pleasures of your life for the benefit of the world... for eternity." He felt the strength leave his arms, and slid his right hand down. Suzaku replied, clearly crying inside the mask. "This geass... I do solemnly accept."

Lelouch smiled, and felt the blade pulled out of him. He felt like it had taken all his energy with it, and his vision began to dull. The momentum carried him forward, and he toppled over the ledge, sliding down the slope. _How undignified. I suppose the crest is stained red as well, now. Fitting, to say the least._

To his surprise, he'd slid right to Nunnally. She sat next to him now, eyes wide in disbelief. His eyes closed partially, against his will. He still smiled. "Lelouch," she asked, voice trembling, "are you..." his sister stopped, then grasped his hand. Her palm felt warm on his cold flesh. To his fading surprise, she gasped as if she'd seen something. "You mean... all this time..." she trailed off, and Lelouch felt a jolt of surprise. _She knows! How?_ The only answers he could think of made no sense. He could hear Kallen shouting for him to get up, rise up once more, and he knew she had figured out his plan as well. He couldn't bring himself to care. Nunnally began to cry over him. "Oh, big brother, I love you!"

Lelouch spoke with an energy that seemed to rise from below his chest. "Yes..." He thought of all the things he'd done, everything that'd happened, all the sins he'd committed...

"I... destroy the world... and create it... anew."

With the last word, all the light went from him and he felt cold. Endlessly cold. And there was only blackness.


	3. Chapter 3

Light... light behind his closed eyelids. This seemed like it should be surprising for some reason, but he couldn't imagine why... it seemed natural, but still something screamed its confusion at him. He wanted to open his eyelids, but they felt so heavy...

_Take initiative. Take control. I am Lelouch vi Brittania. I am Zero. Synapses fired. No... I am no longer Zero. Suzaku, my only friend, is. Suzaku, who killed me. Who KILLED me!_ His eyes flew open, but encountered only darkness. _There's something on top of me... cloth. Black. And cold metal on my back. _Before he could think further, the blanket was torn away. Lelouch blinked painfully as light invaded his eyes. He heard a voice he'd never expected to hear again, from an odd fop of a man- "Incredible! Absolutely incredible, hmm? And you say he had no knowledge of this?" Then, another voice, one that made his heart leap, entered the conversation. "None, though knowing him it would not surprise me if he had a theory." Lelouch's mind sprang into action. The conclusion he came to shook his very core.

"You!" Still blinking, Lelouch sat up. He pointed angrily at C.C, who stood by Lloyd Asplund as he spun in excitement. "You **witch**! You didn't tell me this is what you meant by a consequence!" Her expression didn't change. "It was necessary. You would not have played the part so excellently if you hadn't thought your death was imminent." Lelouch trembled with rage. He got up off the table and paced angrily. Even in his fury, his mind worked to understand his current situation. He recognized his surroundings, to his considerable surprise. He stood now in a classroom he'd once taken English in. The desk he'd been set down on, oddly enough, had been his.

"What does life hold for me now? My sister thinks I'm dead! Everyone I ever cared about-" he stopped. "The entire world thinks I'm dead!" Lloyd spun again. "That's the wonderful part! Something so amazing, so unique~" Both C.C. and Lelouch looked at him angrily. For once, he took the hint. "Ehh, I have some calculations to do! You two lovebirds have fun now." He promptly waltzed out of the room.

The two looked at each other. Lelouch tried to speak, but C.C. cut him off. "Listen, I said earlier that I would change this for you if you wanted. I still can." Lelouch paused, then ecstatically moved forward. "Yes, please! I have nothing left to live for." He noticed her face fall imperceptibly. She moved towards him. "If that's what you want..." she breathed, and reached forward, fingers moving towards his forehead... _NO!_ He grabbed her hand by reflex. They both stood, shocked at his action. "W... wait," he stammered. "Let me think." Now is different. I have to remember that. He stepped back and released her, composure returning.

"In the past, I lived for my sister, Nunnally, until I lost her." A short twinge in his heart that faded momentarily. "Then, I lived for excitement, anything to test my skills. Finally, I lived for the destruction and reconstruction of this world." Her expression didn't waver. "But now..." he paused, flushing slightly. "I have yet to complete our contract. You set no limit on it, so... " He stopped again. "Being a legal contract, I am not free from it until you dissolve the deal. And do you wish to?" She flashed one of her rare, real smiles. "No, I don't. But you cannot know what it is, to be immortal." Lelouch shook his head. "It's all I've desired for longer than I can remember. If anyone may prepare himself for the experience, it is I. And besides," he continued, striking a pose in his emperor's garb, "kings are supposed to live forever, in memory as much as form." She leaned close and hugged Lelouch firmly. "I'm glad, truly. Thank you." He smiled and returned the hug with some enthusiasm, breaking contact before too much time had passed. Her chest pressed against his in a way that was most uncomfortable and yet surprisingly soft.

Rationale returned. "What are we to do now?" he queried. "If we're going to continue moving, we must have a plan of action." She nodded, that knowing smile playing along her lips. "In any case. our first move should be to leave the city. Even this place will become unsafe in short order." Lloyd poked his head into the room. "That's what I'm for, hmm? Are you two ready to escape your evil empire?"

Alone for a brief moment while Lloyd dug up a change of clothes, Lelouch stared at his reflection in the washroom mirror. Stepping back, he lightly touched the part of his chest that had so recently sheathed Suzaku's blade. _Healed. Completely healed._ A spasm crossed his features, and he half collapsed against the sink. His trembling hands on the cold porcelain were all that supported him. Only twice before had he seen such rapid regeneration. _Her, and my father! They both had this power that I now possess._ His breathing grew heavier as his thoughts returned to that hellish plane in which he'd fought his father and nearly lost. He shivered, remembering the eons he had been trapped inside that C's world, gaining understanding and appreciation for the power of mankind's collective unconscious. Of course the actual experience had taken no longer than half a moment, but it had felt far longer, awash in that endless time stream. But that was the way C's world worked; time moved awkwardly there, in fits and starts. _Breathe, fool. Regain your composure._

Slowly, his talon grip eased, and he drew himself up once more. The contortion brought his front into contact with the bloodied robe he still wore, and his skin broke into gooseflesh at the cold dampness. He gazed at his kingly vestments with distaste. _As if my face wasn't beacon enough, this clothing nearly bellows my identity. _Shrugging, he splashed a cupped handful of water against his face, then dried it with a towel. As if on cue, C.C. hailed him. "Are you quite ready, Lelouch? Lloyd has your clothes ready back in the classroom. " He nodded to himself and joined her in the hallway. As the emperor walked with his witch, he decided to attempt to fill in the blanks in his understanding of what had transpired. Flicking a bead of water from the tips of his hair, he began. "Tell me if I'm correct in my hypothesis, won't you?" She gave a slight nod. He paused a millisecond to collect his thoughts, then drove on. "My Geass matured to the point that I have become a carrier for the Code. Now, I am essentially invincible, and...have lost my Geass." She nodded, searching his face for some emotional reaction. His outward appearance remained composed, but turmoil raged inside him.

He felt sick, physically and mentally. Like there was an empty hole in him where once power resided. _Truly,_ Lelouch lamented_, I am no longer an emperor. My kingdom, life, and now my power have been stolen from me. How disgraceful that I, the man who allowed this world to move forward, should be so humiliated._ But the bitterness passed as quickly as it had come, and he felt a tremendous sense of relief where it had stood. _Finally, the burden of power has been lifted from my shoulders. No, more than that; it has been forcibly cast from me and my use of it damned._ A brief twinge of haughty arrogance accompanied the thought, but he shrugged it off_. It's best this way,_ he reminded himself, _and I am free from my responsibilities. All tasks at hand of any consequence have been cleared… forever._ The realization staggered him.

As Lelouch changed into the school uniform his companions had provided, he questioned C.C. further. She stood outside the door, hugging her Cheese-kun plush, kept despite her emperor's objections. "What has transpired since my 'death'?" He thought it best to start from the beginning. She tapped a finger on the wall before answering. "I can't speak for the last hour or so, but it was easy to overhear the news as I came here. Evidently, your prisoners have been freed, criminals charged in these last two months have had their charges dropped, and all remnants of your rule have been essentially demolished. Lloyd I broke out as soon as your death had been announced, and we took you here, to Ashford High." Lelouch nodded, adjusting his belt. He reached for his shirt and continued the interrogation. "How is Kallen? She seemed to have caught on to our little ploy." She shook her head. "I don't know. I was praying for you in the school chapel at that time." "…Thank you," he said a bit awkwardly. He was never sure how to react to admissions of faith, atheistic as he'd always been. "You're welcome, I suppose." Her tone switched to a more playful one. "Shouldn't you be able to tell how she'll take it? Haven't you always said people are so predictable?" Lelouch smiled at the reference, smoothed his clothes one last time, and moved out into the corridor. He leaned against the wall to C.C's side. "People, as static images, are predictable. Time makes them much more complicated, and certain factors…"

"Certain factors like love?" the witch asked him with a laughing lilt in her voice. Lelouch frowned. _Yes, "love" has always interfered with my otherwise perfect calculations._ And for all that commoners talked of it, he still hadn't been able to define the emotion. _Madame President, she spoke of it. Tianzi and Xingke had it between them, that much is certain. Kaguya and Kallen and Shirley…_ His head knocked against the wall, but his companion said nothing. C.C. knew better than to interrupt him while he thought so deeply. _Did they three love me? Shirley said she kept falling into love with me, again and again, against her will. Against all she knew of me._ Lelouch shook his head, wanting no part of any emotion that overrode judgment so fatally. But _she also said it was a kind of power._ He saved that memory for later analysis, requiring more time to fully understand it. _Kaguya and Kallen may have, but said nothing of it. Besides, Kallen rebuffed me when I asked for her comfort. And Kaguya was so quick to abandon me when she thought I had betrayed Japan. So is it overwhelming or quiet? Is it painful or joyous? Is it power or weakness? _

"Still unsure?" The witch's words broke into Lelouch's ponderings. He smiled sardonically. "You do have a habit of reading me. It's true enough; love is yet an unsolved puzzle to me." She nodded, expression growing yet more mysterious. Lelouch felt a small pinch of irritation. Love wasn't the only variable unaccounted for; even in all of their interaction, large parts of C.C. were unknown and unquantifiable to him. The emperor, well-versed as he was in psychological analysis, often found his witch's expressions to be nigh unto unreadable, and her emotions impossible to track and predict._ Even now, a mystery. _It made him want to stay with her, that nagging feeling that whispered his lack of knowledge. It made him want to learn everything about her. It made him want to learn even more from her. Lost in thought, he was brought back to reality by C.C. once more. "Well, now that you're ready, shall we move on? Even this place will become unsafe in short order," she spoke quietly. He nodded. Even though it meant symbolically leaving his beloved Britannia, staying in the city was completely unfeasible. Better to leave, and as soon as possible.


	4. Chapter 4

Lelouch cursed as he hid behind the athletic office's wall, ducking out of view of a group of students passing by. He cursed under his breath. _What, is the entire student body now allowed to roam free due to my "death?" No, of course they were forced to watch any media event related to the Emperor. _He remembered, dully, that he had been corralled in the same way during his schooling. All that remained of the multitudinous experiences, besides a few tattered memories, were twin feelings of boredom and irritation. _I've never suffered fools gladly,_ he thought with a slight smile. A moment later the students' conversations validated his supposition. Snatches of babble floated by him and, after a few minutes, vanished. He breathed out slowly, but a hand landed on his back and set his heart racing once more. He took a brief second to regain control, then turned to face his attacker, cold smile on his face. To his continued surprise, he saw only C.C. The hand had belonged to her. "Come on, Lelouch," she quietly urged. "We need to get out of here." He nodded and they moved on, sneaking past the pool building and the halved dormitory complex that had once held Lelouch and his sister's home. Now, only a partially-constructed skeleton even hinted any more had ever been in the place where he, with Nunnally, had lived for so long. _How nostalgic. _He couldn't deny a small pain when he looked at it, but resolved to ignore it. It was a tool, nothing more. A shelter even if it had such memories in it.

He smirked as a sudden irony presented itself to him. _Surely, _he thought sardonically, _this dorm wing would have been fixed shortly after the explosion, were my brothers or father still in power. And this empire I created, spanning the entire globe, hasn't undone the damage it dealt to itself long after the fact. _He remembered the explosion, the unveiling of the Fleija weapon, and the memory was bitter. At the time, he'd thought his actions had brought about the death of his sister. That his drive to create a perfect world for the two of them to live in had, in fact, destroyed her. It still brought a sick feeling to his gut. Reluctantly, as if tearing himself away from his past life, he turned to go. An incredulous call stopped him in his tracks.

Rivalz's face seemed to go through several transformations as he observed Lelouch. First despair, then surprise, then horror swept across his features. Finally he settled on a mix of elation and confusion, and stumbled forward with tears starting in his eyes. "Lelouch, is it really you? Oh man, I can't believe it! But how did you live through getting stabbed? Lelouch cursed and walked on, pretending not to have heard his schoolmate. Much to his dismay this rebuff only strengthened Rivalz's resolve. "Hey," he called, running after a pair that were trying their utmost to remain unfound. He frowned, hurt. "Heyy, Lelouch! Wait up!" _Fool! You'll alert everyone to my presence! _Even now, several bemused students were turning to look. The two walked as he desperately tried to come up with a plan of action that would dissuade his old friend without confirming his identity. But the master tactician ran out of time. A hand grabbed his shoulder and- not ungently- spun him back. Lelouch, caught by the trials and hardships that would undoubtedly result from his schoolmate's acquiring of his identity, did what came naturally. Without fully intending the movement, he brushed a lock of hair from his eyes, taking a contact lens with it. He turned to Rivalz and focused his will upon him. "Leave, now. Tell no one." To his utter surprise, it worked. He knew the blank slate Geassed faces always changed into well enough, and his schoolmate confirmed it by walking quietly away.

The two stood, shocked by Lelouch's returned power. He was perhaps the most surprised by the revelation, and he found to his surprise that he was unhappier than he'd been while he thought himself powerless. He relished the returning flood of power, undeniably so, but he also felt some deep sense of guilt. _Which is ridiculously absurd, _he reminded himself. _It is I who have changed this world for the better, and how could I have achieved such a feat if I had not this power? _But try as he might, rationalize it as he could, it still felt… impure. Like a hollow victory. _Victory gained without one's own power is meaningless, _he reminded himself, and felt that worthless tint now. He guessed the supposed loss of his powers had made that fact indelibly clear to him:

His Geass was not his own. It was a borrowed power, nothing more. And it had become fleeting, unreliable, easily lost. These powers were not his. They never had been; just an illusion of false strength. And he had been relying on them like a fool. And now he was in _this _situation because his crutch had replaced his true legs. His mask had spoken before he could, and it had damned him once more. His friend of so many years now had fallen under his power, unwittingly and unfairly. For all his turmoil, though, Lelouch's hesitation lasted only a second. He seized C.C.'s hand, ignoring its coolness, and ran.

"You're really not much of an athlete, are you?" Her teasing words annoyed him, but he brushed the barb off. In between pants as he bent nearly double, he found the wind to reply. "I'm not some sort of fitness nut like Suzaku. Besides, I'm an intellectual. Could I have spin-kicked my way to this peace?" His attempt at a joke was met with something like amusement. She didn't respond audibly, but he could see laughter in her hazel eyes. He found her smile to be surprisingly rewarding. "Besides," he continued, "we should be safe here. No one walks these corridors while classes are in session." The two stood in another of Ashford Academy's many school buildings, this one deemed safest by Lelouch's experience. He smiled briefly as he remembered those carefree school days. They seemed so bright, so happy and carefree. _And so time makes liars and fools of us all._ Thinking more deeply, he could with some difficulty bring the many pains of that past to mind. _Those days were anything but enjoyable. _Rather, his life before C.C. had been full of irritations. Living like that- endlessly bored, stagnating, powerless- had been torturous.

But then _she _had appeared to him, and all that had changed. New pathways had opened up to him like a lost piece had cleared the way for his marshaled forces. And all that time spent waiting for… _well, waiting for something like all this to happen, _he supposed. He couldn't imagine living that pointless life for any longer than he had been forced to. Still, he had to admit, his boredom had furnished him with useful skills. It was these, and months of experience, he used to navigate the potentially dangerous hallways of his school. He moved close to a wall as a voice grew louder down the hall, but relaxed as it faded again. It would not do to be seen here, he reminded himself, and moved on more cautiously. After a moment more of walking, the two stood by an elevator that would lead them to the lower levels. He smiled to himself. _Another easy enough task. Another reminder of my past life's use. _Lelouch was unsurprised to find the elevator's codes had been changed in the interim, but found it no major impediment. They changed the code every month, but they worked on a rotation he knew well. In another moment, both emperor and witch were hurtling downwards, into the school's dark underbelly. Here they would hide until by black of night they might escape the city entirely.


	5. Chapter 5

Dark water tinted with green tumbled down and crashed into bits against smooth ferrocrete, foaming and rushing onwards through black tunnels. All around them, the city's lifeblood flowed. Here, below Ashford Academy, life-giving liquid flew from fountain to home. Lelouch, sitting silently with his back to cold metal, amused himself by tracing the route the leftmost stream would take. Long ago he had memorized the city's fluids system in the hopes it would give a tactical advantage, but even now it had not proved even vaguely useful. _That, _he mused,_ is the nature of such knowledge. Perhaps… 93% unused, but the remainder allows one to perform seeming miracles._

She was smiling, that witch of his. She was smiling and he didn't know why. In fact, Lelouch was almost never certain of what went on in that green-ringed head, and had accordingly ceased making predictions. His curiosity, however, continued unabated. _Well, no reason not to ask. We will be here for quite some time yet. _So he asked her. "What is it that so occupies you? Not a single word has passed your lips since we came here." Her smile turned bittersweet. "Just a memory or two, hardly important." Lelouch shook his head slightly. "I know you better than that. Try a better subterfuge." "This coming from the emperor of lies himself?" If the words cut, he gave no indication. Finally she sighed and acquiesced. Her voice sounded light and unconstrained, the question an idle query. Lelouch knew better.

"Lelouch," she began, "how much of my childhood do you know?" He thought back on his sporadic encounters with CC's personal data. _The more it comes down to it,_ he thought, and not for the first time, _I really know next to nothing about her. _"From C's world and the brief flashes you've shown me… you were abandoned to a kind of slavery. Until you met her." He trailed off, having no more real information to provide. She sighed once more, a long breath that filled the empty air. Still, the all-knowing smile never left her face. "Then it seems I have a great deal to tell you." She kneeled back, green hair cascading over her shoulders. CC folded her arms across her chest and arched backwards, presenting Lelouch with an appealing view of her front, bound as it was in the odd research garment she always wore. He flushed and turned his gaze to the water rushing through the dim blackness. _She never misses an opportunity to tease me, intentional or not._

"I don't remember any sort of beginning to my life. All I knew was harsh and bleak." "And your parents?" Lelouch interjected, but she shook her head. "I don't remember them either. I suppose I must have had them, but…" She drew herself closer and rested her chin between her knees, curling up into a ball. "Whether due to time or age, I don't even know if they abandoned me or died. Whatever the reality, its effect was the same." She paused. "I was a slave for what seemed like an eternity, but that was only one of the many faces of that early life. I was a beggar, first." Her feet tapped against the ground, sending echoes through the expansive chamber. "I lied, stole, pleaded for coin and food… anything to make it through the day. it wasn't always easy, but at least I kept alive."

CC's voice turned bitter. "But one day, I was caught stealing an apple, of all things." She tried for a smile. "Unfortunately, I had the bad luck to be caught by a patrol of guards. Had I been a few years older, they might have cut off my hand." She held the limb out, examining it thoughtfully. After a moment, she took it back. "As it was… they clapped me in irons and sold me the first chance they got. Evidently, young girls fetch quite a high price." Lelouch winced. He'd enough knowledge of history to more than assure him of that fact. "I suppose I should be grateful," she continued. "My master only wanted a scullery maid. And so for a year or two I washed and did other odd jobs." "And? What's the twist?" She smiled wryly. "This world holds few secrets from you, I'm sure. As it happens, you are correct. My master lost a bet, and a sizeable amount of money with it." "Let me guess," Lelouch supplied. "He planned to sell you once more?" "Exactly. And the other girls seemed afraid of the buyer. The stories they told were hardly comforting. And so I ran away." The witch rocked back and forth, remembering. "After that, I did whatever work I chanced upon. I was old enough to be truly punished for stealing, so I tried not to, but it wasn't always possible to avoid. Thankfully, I was never caught. **She **found me before the guards did."

Lelouch frowned. "The priestess." "Yes. She took me in, taught me… and gave me my Geass. Hey, Lelouch, we in the Order had a theory that our powers are chosen according to what we desire most. What do you think that says about you?" She stretched out one shapely leg and nudged him playfully. He was glad for the darkness- without it, her panties and his blush might have been more visible. He forced out a reply. "Everything you're imagining." She laughed quietly. "And what of you?" he asked. "Did you wish to be loved?" She nodded thoughtfully and retracted her leg. "I'm not certain, but I do remember a minstrel singing of how love made all life's problems disappear. Perhaps I took his words as true. I soon learned that being loved only created a slew of new problems." Lelouch nodded. "Everyone who saw me instantly fell in love. For years, I had fresh flowers, songs, declarations of love… new ones almost every day. And I liked the attention, the adoration. It was like a little girl's dream. But as I grew older, it all seemed…" "Pointless? Fake?" She nodded soundlessly. "They never really loved me, just my Geass. I played a sort of game with my prospective suitors; if they could name three things about me they loved, I would give them a chance. Most just stared dumbly at me when I asked them. A few did answer, though, and I thought loved them in return. But it was all just illusion. What I felt for them was no more real than what they felt for me. I even tried sleeping with a couple of them, but it changed nothing." Lelouch's hands curled into fists. Irritated, he forced them open again. If his companion noticed, she gave no sign.

"The only person that did not love me was She. And I loved her for it." She smiled at the irony of her statement. He broke in. "Don't you hate her? She forced upon you the very immortality you so frequently curse." CC tilted her head back and considered the question. "Perhaps," she finally answered, "I did once. But now, so close to her position, I can understand how she felt." She smiled secretively. "Besides, immortality gave me one irreplaceable gift." Lelouch waited for elaboration, but none came. A moment later, though, a question did. "Lelouch," she quietly murmured, "What was it like after you lost your memories?" He thought back to that time and grimaced. "Hellish. For all my father's bravado, he didn't perform an adequate wipe. I always felt… out of place, really. Like there was a task I had not yet cleared, and it nagged at me. And there were faces I expected to see, too. But they had disappeared." He stretched out, enjoying the feel of the cold ground. "All he really did was put me back to where I was before I met you. A fatal mistake on his part." CC waited a moment, then continued her questioning. "What drove you to accept our contract once again?" He raised an eyebrow, curious as to why she even wondered. "For power. And for everything I knew I'd lost." He smiled as his thoughts ran through that frantic day in the tower. "It's fortunate you found me when you did. I might be dead or a zombie by now." She jerked her head up. "You mean you're glad all of this happened?" The sentence caught in her throat as she said it: a little tremble in her words that was all but imperceptible.

Lelouch was incredulous. "Don't be ridiculous. This day and all that came, and comes, with it has been worth the cost many times over. I wouldn't have it any other way." _Even though I have lost my sister and my dearest friend… it's worth it. This pain is penance for all the evil I have done. _"Thank goodness." CC breathed a sigh of relief A tear came with it, glinting green in the dim light. She buried her head and sniffed. "Sorry, I-" her words began, but were choked back. Lelouch was taken aback, completely confused by her response. Her shoulders began to tremble. He opened his mouth, but found nothing to say.

_Just like Nunnally. _Absurdly, the image reminded him of his sister. When she had been overwhelmed by her fear or sadness, this was the way she had reacted. Lelouch was overcome with nostalgia. _And I had moved to reassure her like… _Almost in a daze, he moved behind his green-haired witch and locked his arms around her. She tensed when she felt his arms touch her, but in a matter of seconds she melted against him, practically throwing herself at the man who had once been an emperor. She twisted and buried her face in his chest, sobbing audibly. Her shoulders bobbed as she shivered, and Lelouch, completely surprised, hugged her close. She was trembling. Quiet sobs wracked her body as she clung to him. He didn't know what to say- his mind spun and tilted at a hundred different options but returned none with any probability of success. Unsure, he merely held her and did as he had with his sister. Very quietly, he murmured that it was all right, nothing was broken. He didn't try to quell her tears or quiet her, knowing both the futility and detriment of the attempt. He just waited, reassuring her almost inaudibly, knowing she would finish in her own time.

It took her several minutes, but finally her crying slowed and stopped. She sniffed once more and then gave a little laugh. "Not a very good side of me I've shown you, I guess." Lelouch's thought drifted to his sister, then back. "I don't mind it." She wiped her face but kept close to him, and he continued to hold her. Again, he waited for her. He knew she would speak if given time, and in another minute she did. "You… you really want all this, despite the pain I've put you through?" He raised an eyebrow. "**You** put me through? Everything that has happened has been due to my own actions, and by my own decree." _Even Euphemia. _He knew that it hadn't been his fault, that the Geass had malfunctioned beyond his control at the worst time; however, he had never been able to shake the feeling of guilt he still felt, strongest when he thought of Suzaku. "Now, what's wrong? You're an immortal witch who has no feelings, remember?" She gave a small smile at his satirical tone, looking up at him with strange emotion in her eyes. Slowly, she answered. "Lelouch… we kept a watch on you when your memories had been erased, the same as your future subjects did." He nodded; that much had been obvious. "And I saw you return to your life as a normal student, untroubled and carefree. I knew how much trouble your life as Zero gave you, how much hardship I forced upon you with the Geass. And I forced it upon you once more, when it was that or death… I couldn't stand myself for it. And now, to give you this horrendous burden of immortality…" she trailed off, unable to finish. He raised a hand and patted her on the head, smiling comfortingly. "It has all been worth the pain. And that happiness you saw me affect was merely a mask, grown sophisticated by years of wearing it.

"As I said, I simply returned to the state I was in before I met you. Not one I desire to stay in, believe you me." He pulled her closer. "Don't worry. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, not the opposite." She sniffed again, and hugged him. "That means a great deal. Thank you." He nodded, smiling. They stayed like that for quite some time, the King and his witch alone in the darkness.s


	6. Chapter 6

It was with the onset of night that the two were rummaging through old festival supplies. Lelouch's room had housed several costumes useful in espionage, but with its destruction came the need for improvisation. Hence, he had decided the next best place to find disguises would be in Ashford's storage sheds. The various masquerade and costumed festivals the school put on almost always generated shirked clothing, and Millie had decided the forgotten items would be kept and reused by others. Lelouch smiled to himself. _I doubt the president ever imagined her simple gesture of kindness would end up aiding the world's most hated man._ He rummaged through an unmarked box, finding cat ears and a maid costume. He set the container aside and moved to another. In that one: merely a large, green otter suit. He kept on, but turned at a query from C.C. "Well? What do you think?" She was holding a white dress with lacy trim and two small skirts, one red and one green. Lelouch cast an eye over the pieces and nodded. "Fine," he replied, "but a more complete picture would be more useful." She smiled and turned, slipping off her top without a moment's pause. Her companion flushed and looked away, but not quickly enough to miss the hint of a white mound, topped by- Lelouch forced his thoughts back to his task, and threw himself into searching for his disguise. At the rate he tore through the boxes, it took almost no time for him to find what he was looking for. He supposed it must have been left by a prospective groom engaging in some dalliance. The disguise he held consisted of a pair of jet-black pants, a white shirt and gray vest. He examined the clothing from every possible angle, but found no faults with it. Still facing away from that temptatious witch, he began to change. He could feel her eyes on his back as he did so.

This was the unspoken game they played, he knew; C.C. and he would maintain an aura of perfect indifference to each other's teases or jibes. If that calm was lost, even for an instant, the loss would mark the loser. He hadn't begun the game, but was determined to w in it. Still, he frowned, she didn't make it easy. He sighed and shook his head, then put the finishing touches on his transformation. He turned back, and the two surveyed each other. Lelouch was surprised. Somehow, out of those few parts, she had fashioned a coherent outfit. _Nay, _he retracted, _it's even beautiful. _Still, he couldn't help but feel her middle looked a little plain… the solution came to him quickly. A longer time he spent fighting against the urge to use his idea. Finally, _a little too willingly, curse you,_ he retrieved the maid outfit and took its corset piece. He handed it over wordlessly, and she understood at once. "Oh, very nice. Who knew you were so interested in fashion?" Lelouch ignored the jibe and searched for the right words to say. "I just thought it would look… good on you." _Liar. It was your own sick fetishization that caused you to suggest it. _She smiled and put it on, then twirled. Her emerald hair fanned out beautifully in the low light, seeming almost to disappear in shadow then reappear where it was lit by the moon. "Well? How do I look now? Fit to be a princess?" Lelouch looked her up and down, doing his best to pay as little attention to the small, black corset around her midsection. "Yes," he finally said, and meant it. The white dress was well offset with the black, and enough color had been added to make the outfit lively. _Though, it's the girl within the dress that is most beautiful._ Lelouch shook the thought away, irritated with how unruly his mind had become. He smoothed his clothing down. "And I?"

She looked him up and down, a small smile playing across her lips. Finally C.C. nodded. "It will do, but you remain conspicuous. We'll have to be careful." Lelouch frowned. It was true, and he knew it; his face was just too damned recognizable. _I'll have to hide my face without drawing too much attention to myself. But for now, it will suffice. The only task left… is to escape._

"Good evening, Madam and Gentleman! How may I help you?" Lelouch turned up his charisma, wanting to give the hotel manager no opportunity to suspect anything of him. "As it happens, sir, we would like a place to stay. We are-" C.C. stepped forward, interjecting with a smile playing along her lips. "We are newlyweds, celebrating our honeymoon." Lelouch's smile twitched. _What is that witch thinking? _He turned to her, still smiling. A dangerous light shone in his eyes. "Indeed, sir. Might you have a room to accommodate us?" The man's grin nearly took in his ears. "Why of course, happy couple! We have just the thing!" The next moments were a whirlwind as the two were whisked to a higher floor and deposited in their suite. As soon as the door had been closed, Lelouch dropped his smiling exterior. Speaking with icy calm, he interrogated the witch. "And what was the point of that display? Was that truly necessary?" She laughed at his discomfort. "What's wrong, don't you like the room?" He sighed and perused the room, examining it more carefully. There was a single bed, cloaked with red covers. A couch stood across from it, and a window beside that. They had a fine enough view of the lighted city, but the sight only put a bad taste in his mouth. A year or less ago, he might have collapsed this very building- or the one to its side, or that one or the other- to make a statement. He turned and shook his head at the woman's smirk. "That's not the point, and you…" he let the thought trail off in a sigh. "No, never you mind. Let's just sleep." She nodded and yawned, stretching in just the right way to pull her clothes tighter against her skin. The corset wasn't helping Lelouch's concentration. He flushed and turned away, sure her movements were purposeful. After a moment more of preparation, all but the nightstand light was dim, and most of C.C.'s clothes were off. She wore that close-fitting, skimpy outfit she'd had from the start. She curled up under the covers languidly and looked up at him, a teasing look in her eyes. "Well, Lelouch? Aren't you tired? The bed's awfully warm." He didn't doubt it, but he shook his head nonetheless. "As always, I must decline. Who knows what you might do to me in my sleep." She laughed and settled down, flicking off the lamp. Lelouch laid himself on the couch and closed his eyes.

He did not sleep.

Wearily, he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He could hear C.C.'s rhythmic breathing, could see her chest rise and fall in the corner of his eye. It didn't help his rest in the least. Lelouch was used to these long nights, staring blankly at the walls. It was her fault, he tried to convince himself, but failed; the words rang hollow no matter how often he said them. _My fault, _he amended. _Only mine. _For who else but he was to blame for what he felt when she wore clothes like that, when she lay helpless and inviting in _his _own bed? He fairly _burned _with desire, and it took constant concentration to banish those permeating thoughts. It was harder than usual to keep himself in check, tonight. He frowned. Was it because of how close he'd come to death? Or perhaps, had being divested of his kingdom unhinged him so? Or, a more sinister idea, was his will simply slipping? He shook himself emphatically. _No. I will not let myself be overwhelmed by base hunger. I am Lelouch Vi Brittania no longer, no longer slave to my father or my country. I make my own path. _The thoughts pushed back his cravings for a minute or two, but in no time at all his unruly mind filled with the multifold fantasies it had dreamed up over these long nights- fantasies that often continued into his sleep. That was one of the outcomes he tried to avoid; the cleanup was both embarrassing and messy. He sighed quietly, thinking of the dream he'd had the night just before his "death." She had been sleeping like this: unaware and helpless. He had quietly slipped to her side, pulled the covers off and simply stared at her. He had stared at her beautiful, barely-clothed form for what seemed like hours. Then he'd rushed forward all at once, grabbing her and _possessing _her and _taking her_ for his own-

The memory was broken by Lelouch's burst of anger. _No, _he thought, the word icy and powerful. _No. No. No. _Finally a measure of calm returned to him, and, more careful this time, he was able to keep it.

Thankfully, she never noticed anything. The witch's breast rose and fell as her hair lay splayed like a great splash of green along her pillow. Her breath came slowly and quietly, in and out…

in and out…

It was a long time indeed before Lelouch's exhaustion finally overcame him.

Of course, he dreamed of her.


	7. Chapter 7

"Good morning, Lelouch!" The once-emperor blinked, letting the dawning sun into his tired eyes. How many hours had he slept? Not enough, he knew, but that was no change from his normal routine. Especially in the days leading up to the Black Knights' betrayal, it had been necessary for him to survive on little to no sleep. More than that- it had been imperative to _function _at that level. It had been needed for him to appear perfectly normal, too, so his ever-present façade had been a constant friend. _Masks. More masks,_ Lelouch thought with a bitter taste in his mouth. _Just like what caused Shirley's…_ he pushed the thought away. Yet again, he was trapped. _But to preserve my integrity by betraying my immorality to her, or…?_ There was never any real question. With no more hesitation, Lelouch hid his face once more.

Less than two seconds after her greeting, he spoke. "And good morning to you. How was your slumber?" She smiled teasingly, her red lips pursing in a lascivious expression.

"Oh, " she answered, "I had a few good dreams. I'm sure you would have enjoyed them." The witch laughed lightly at her warlock's expression. "Now, rise. We'd best be moving out soon."

As it turned out, getting free of Area 11- _Japan, now,_ Lelouch reminded himself- was far easier than either companion had expected. On a whim, Lelouch had decided to check whether his previous method was still in place. And, due to either a lucky miracle or fate itself, the operation was still viable. The two stared down at the aquarium, briefly admiring the exotic fish swimming within. Of course, the Knightmare hiding within wasn't the Shinchiro, but the cheap model the Black Knights had left there would do well enough. Lelouch and C.C. snuck quietly down to the loading bay, then paised at some vaguely familiar shouting. When it stopped, they moved on until the two of them stood directly in front of the Knightmare. Lelouch frowned. "We need the key," he whispered quietly. "And I don't know where it might be." They searched for a moment more, then reluctantly followed the noise they'd heard a moment before. They paused at the doorway to yet another white, sterilized room and then peeked in as one.

Inside sat Tamaki, complaining loudly and waving a small bottle of Sake around. Dangling from his finger was the Knightmare's key. "Aww, damn!" Tamaki yelled with a mixture of irritation and disappointment. "Why'd I get stuck with this lousy job?" He took a brief swig of liquor and held the bottle up to the light, saddened by its emptiness. "I should be out getting the recognition I deserve! I mean, I was Zero's right-hand man!" C.C. laughd quietly as Lelouch hung his head in his hands. "Some people never change," came her whisper. He could only nod in agreement.

Tamaki's vision was clouded, but he was still capable of recognizing the shapes of two people he'd thought he would never see again. "Z… Zero? No way it could be you, right?" Never one to hold himself back, the man burst out into tears. "But- you betrayed us, even though you and I were best buddies, even though I was your bro!" He would have said more, but suddenly there was just something about his hero's eyes, and for some reason it was absolutely necessary to give over the Knightmare's key and it's passcode, and then to forget the two he'd seen…

Mere moments later, the man once called Zero was flying scant meters above the sea. His face was set in an emotionless mask that looked hard enough to deflect bullets. Next to him sat C.C, but she knew to say nothing. They moved quietly on for some time before she judged it wise to break the silence. "Just like old times," she murmured at last, and Lelouch couldn't help but agree. This little jaunt indeed felt quite similar to the many he'd taken at the height of Zero's career, flying back and forth to balance diplomatic meetings and school at the same time. It reminded him, too, of the betrayal he'd faced at the hands of the Black Knights- the very group he'd created out of nothing! - and the death of Rolo.

_That's right, _he thought. _Your big brother really is… just a bad liar._

His companion's words broke his uneasy train of thought, returning him momentarily to the present. Of course, his hands had never faltered. "Lelouch," she asked, "How about your childhood? You've heard my life's story, but more and more I begin to realize I only know a small part of yours." C.C. didn't mention the times she'd observed him in his early youth. Lelouch's eyebrows raised as he, oblivious, pondered how best to answer the question.

"You know most everything about my life, but I'll fill in the parts you haven't heard. My youth was fairly normal for a noble boy, I suppose. I was always the smartest of my siblings- you could call it a natural aptitude; it's honestly more practice- but there were those that could pose me a challenge, such as my brother Schneizel. However, the times my siblings would come to visit our estate were few and unpredictable. So in the interim, I spent time with my sister and with my own mind."

A smile crept on his face, shattering the hardened mask he wore.

"Then I met Suzaku. It didn't take us long for us to discover we were two of a kind, and once we realized that, our nationalities just disappeared. I wasn't a Britannian and he wasn't Japanese or Eleven while we were together; we were just Lelouch and Suzaku: two boys with similar morals."

"What would have happened if he hadn't been with you?" C.C. interjected.

"Well, the world certainly wouldn't be where it is now. Suzaku was the one who taught me of individual value- not national, and not group value- and without him I'm not sure if I'd view Japanese the way I do now. It's obvious we're all just people, but to a society that is unanimous in opposition of a group…? Such mores are hard to question if you don't even see them."

She nodded in response. "And your mother? What of her?"

He laughed quietly, but if any humor existed in the sound it was bitter indeed. "Yes, what of her?" He paused to ponder the question more seriously, and its ramifications. Finally, with a sigh, he continued. "I spent the better part of my life hating my father for how little he seemed to care. Now, I despise the both of them for how uncaring they were. I suppose the fact that I was at least partially right should console me, but it doesn't. I made a rash assumption and from it all my decisions are tainted."

C.C. said nothing, but the look in her eyes- if Lelouch had seen it- spoke volumes about how much she wanted to speak.

"Yes," he continued, "I made a logical leap and fell to my doom. Not for the last time, either. Nunally…" he let the name out in a sigh, almost injecting an air of reverence into the word. "She wanted a softer world, a kinder world. At least, that's what I thought… but in reality all my actions did was take away what she wanted most: me." All the shock he'd felt at his sister's final statement and the guilt he internalized gave an undeniable charge to his words, propelling them from his mouth with ill-controlled abandon. He worried, briefly, that perhaps he was being too free with his secrets, but the thought was pushed aside and the words kept flowing. "I failed her; I failed the only goal I ever had. I just wanted to make her happy, and look where it got me." He was trembling with uncontrolled emotion now, his eyes fixed on the never-ending expanse of glittering sea in front of them. "I failed my precious sister."

There was silence for a moment more, then he jolted as soft arms brushed against his skin, moving to capture and enfold him. His witch's green hair fell down his left side as she let her head rest on his shoulder. Her grip was as soft as her words. "Lelouch, you know as well as I do that you've changed this world for the better. Your sister will live on, don't worry. Don't write off everything you've done just because one person has been hurt."

Slowly, he shook his head in denial. "Everything I did was for her sake; every one of my actions was for her and were still with her death."

But her quiet words cut his argument to ribbons. "And when you swore to fulfill my wish, were you thinking of what she wanted even then?"

No response was necessary. Instead he simply let his head fall back against her soft chest- somehow he managed not to think about the action- and relaxed, if only a bit.

His witch hugged him close, almost as if he was comforting her.

They spent the rest of the journey in intimate silence.

For the moment, it was enough.


	8. Chapter 8

Rain tip-tapped down on the cave's roof, creating a drumming sound that filled the chamber with its incessance. A small, crackling fire served to warm the sitting pair's hands: a certain green-haired witch and the erstwhile king of the world. The two looked for all the world like a pair of lost students, both wearing the uniform of Ashford Academy. His dark blue, form-fitting outfit was thin, but at least it covered him well. C.C.'s skirt and brown shirt were less useful, but somewhat more diverting. The firelight played along her legs, making them glow yellow and orange and creamy white all at once. A brief silence sat with them until it was dispelled by Lelouch.

"One day gone; twenty remain. And how do you find your living arrangements?"

The witch smiled at his tone of formality. "Why, I do believe I find them perfectly adequate- though perhaps a bit drafty." Even with the laughter hidden in her voice, it never lost that mysterious, velveteen tone.

He nodded. "I'll set the servants on it. They'll know better than to keep their princess waiting." They both enjoyed a quiet laugh, but Lelouch's mood soon fell. _three weeks… twenty-one days until we're able to leave._ He sighed inwardly as he remembered the disbelieving look he'd given her when she first suggested hiding here, on Kamine Island. Still, the more he'd thought about it the more reasonable it had sounded, until he'd become chagrined that he hadn't been the one to think of it.

Of course, it made sense. Border authorities would no doubt be exceedingly vigilant in the few weeks after his "death," intent on catching any fleeing accomplices. Showing his own face was risky enough, but C.C. was instantly recognizable. And even the power of Geass would not help him; enough people knew the signs well enough to expose the truth, and the idea of his last, greatest plan being foiled like that left him cold and shuddering. No, he'd finally agreed, better to stay in a remote, distant place for as long as it would take. _And that time,_ he thought, _has lessened by a day. One less cycle on this desolate, dreary speck of an island._

The thought didn't comfort him much, especially with how the day had turned out. He sat back and remembered. It wasn't entirely possible to keep a sardonic smile off his face.

Lelouch had stood with a stick in his hand and a bemused expression on his face. To his left and right ran a game trail, and under a mess of leaves and debris… was a pit. Granted, time had very nearly filled it up, but the dirt was not cemented and so he was able to dig it out easily. That done, he had vanished into the forest for several minutes. When he came back, his arms were filled by a large, relatively flat rock. He laid it heavily atop the hole, frowned, then returned to the foliage's green embrace. When he came back, the new rock he brought seemed sufficient. He had propped it up with a stick, then took a vine from the trees around him and tied it to the pillar. Finally, vine in hand, he placed a small piece of fruit in the depression and found a place where he could watch the trap. Hidden, sweating and sore, he watched… and waited.

Hours later, C.C. had found an irritated Lelouch next to the same, empty trap. She took it all in at a glance and waited for several moments before her companion was finally forced to speak.

"Witch, you're blocking the trail." She just smiled and walked closer.

"Not having much luck, Lelouch?"

He sighed in agreement. "Not so far. Perhaps the animals here aren't willing to bite." She nodded, that same mysterious smile playing across her face. She turned and walked into the woods, leaving a curious but still irritated student behind. When she returned a moment later, she brought with her several sticks. As he watched in mounting interest, she took a small knife from her shirt pocket and began to cut notches in the wood until each piece fit with the others. He had reached a hand towards her but hesitated, conflicted. _That's not work for a woman,_ he'd known, but it was painfully obvious that she knew what she was doing and he absolutely did not. So instead, he sat there in silence and watched as turmoil roiled within him. At last she was satisfied with her work and stood, then walked to his trap. By this time, Lelouch had been so intrigued that he didn't even resist when she undid his trigger and replaced it with an arrangement of her own. With a slight addition of leaves and some digging, the deed had been done and a new sort of device stood where his once had. As before, the rock was held up by a stick, but now two others fit to that diagonal pillar in a crude imitation of a number 4. On the end of the four's horizontal crossbar, C.C. had stuck the piece of fruit and added a few nuts, besides. Whatever the trap was, it certainly seemed more sophisticated than his. He couldn't understand exactly how it worked, though.

She caught his curious gaze and smiled. There was a slight bit of pride in her eyes as she explained. "Figure-four trap. The arm is weak-"

Lelouch understood. "I see. When the arm is nudged, the entire top falls and the support topples." He smiled at the description. _Not too different from what I did: take a situation and ready it to be struck down at the slightest effort._

"Exactly," she replied, seemingly unaware of the fact that he'd cut her off. "And now we're free to let the trap work for us."

She turned and strode off, prompting her companion to follow. He had moved after her a moment later, silently. The rest of the walk he spent in careful thought.

And now, here they were. A burst of sparks fountained out from the small fire as a log shifted and fell. Lelouch sat back against the stone wall of the cavern. He was hungry. Despite the ingenious trap C.C. had made- and the few others they had set afterwards- not a single animal had blundered onto their dinner table. He hadn't eaten anything in more than two days. He was hungry. He was starving.

He said nothing.

He'd learned long ago how to ignore the more pressing needs of his body; traveling through a war zone with Suzaku and his sister had made that skill a necessity. And so even as fire tempered steel, Lelouch had become immune to the often diverting attentions of his body. _Immune to all,_ he thought with a frown, _except one._

C.C. sat staring into the fire, a decidedly peaceful expression on her face. She'd stripped down to her undergarments- the very same ones she wore when held captive by Britannia. He turned partially away, but of course he could still see her from the corner of his eye. _Nothing but skintight ._He would have leveled judgment against her for wearing such clothing- and had to other girls in the past- but for some strange feeling of rightness it gave him. It was almost like… she looked more natural out of clothes than in. He mentally shook the thought from his head, but the image wouldn't leave. Instead of running out of the cave and into the cool, clarifying rain, he contented himself with watching her. Inevitably, his eyes were drawn to certain parts as if by a magnet.

Her clothing looked like it was trying to approximate a pair of shorts and a half shirt, but at anything other than underwear it clearly failed to perform. The white fabric clung to her like a second skin- and it almost looked like one with how wet it was. "Don't you have any other clothes in your bag?" Lelouch finally asked with some annoyance in his voice. She eyed him askance.

"I do, of course, but it would be better not to use them so quickly. Besides, I'm fine like this." She turned back to the fire, a more contemplative look in her eyes. Lelouch said nothing, but merely thought _I'm not._

When at last they both felt tired enough to sleep, C.C. retrieved from her bag several things: a few blankets and covers, a pillow or two, and… a large, plush animal that prompted a sigh from her companion. He hung his head in his hands. "You realize," he stated hopelessly, "how much space that takes up, how useless it is, and how difficult it will be to transport?" She smiled at him.

"Yes."

"Willful woman."

She just laughed.

It was a very long night, made no shorter by their proximity. Lelouch lay rigid on his back and stared up at the uneven ceiling. Beside him, with her back turned, his witch hugged her toy close. Of course, she had encountered no trouble sleeping. Of course. It took a very strong will to keep his impure thoughts at bay, but he was at least used to it. In fact, his exhaustion aided him greatly. The day's work had taken such a toll on his body- only catching up to him now, for some reason- that his eyelids seemed to glue shut with every blink. This sort of physical exertion was mostly new to him, but he knew how to deal with it. He closed his eyes, content to hope he wouldn't do anything while he slept to the beautiful and alluring girl sleeping next to him.

A very small voice brought him fully awake.

"Scared..." Lelouch's eyes snapped open, but no further words were forthcoming. C.C. had retreated back into him until they were almost touching on every available surface. He watched her for any further signs of wakefulness, but from all he could tell she had only been talking in her sleep.

Lelouch lay there for what felt like a very long time, caught between two opposing forces he didn't fully understand. For some reason, he felt as if a step one way would take him tumbling down a cliff and a step the other would have him swept away. He was used to standing still in matters like this; it was easiest, safest, most comfortable. He was used to postponing movement indefinitely.

Then she shivered, and in an instant he couldn't have cared less about the consequences. With a sure hand he reached out and wrapped her gently in his arms. He felt her tense up at the unexpected contact, and he winced in expectation of her sarcastic, biting humor. He was sure she was awake, but in little enough time she relaxed against him, and even wriggled closer. He was no less consumed by his desire- more so if anything, as she brushed his groin with her scantily-clad ass- but for some unknown reason, he wasn't overtaken the way he sometimes felt dangerously close to. He watched her chest rise and fall.

Of course she'd been asleep, he assured himself. Of course she spoke according to a dream.

He didn't dare let himself contemplate the alternative.


End file.
